CyberGhost VPN review
Last updated on 01/01/2024 by Melvyn and co.
From $1.99 per month
Score 5 out of 5
★★★★★ 5/5
CyberGhost are an exceptional VPN provider with industry leading levels of privacy, worldwide server locations ideal for torrenting with user friendly applications that flawlessly unblock US Netflix, BBC iPlayer and other popular streaming services. If you want a super-fast, zero logs, easy to use VPN… then look no further!
Pros
- Kill switch, DNS leak protection, 256-bit AES encryption
- Unblocks popular streaming services such as Netflix
- Torrenting allowed
- Loads of extra features like DoubleVPN and adblock
- Protect up to 7 devices with the one subscription
Cons
- No VPN obfuscation technology for use in high censorship countries
- Doesn’t work in China, Turkey or The UAE
Server network
7,200+ servers, 91 countries
Top speeds
265Mbps same city download speed
Compatible with
CyberGhost claims to be the “truly complete VPN solution”, and along with over 30 million extremely satisfied users, we have to say we agree! Offering complete user privacy protection with its advanced military grade encryption, your IP address is fully concealed at all times giving you full online anonymity. Paired with an array of advanced security features, the ever so important VPN kill switch, and a strict no logs policy, we’re confident our readers will be kept safe at all times when using CyberGhost VPN.
With its impressive network of over 7,200+ VPN servers spanning 91 countries worldwide, CyberGhost boasts seriously quick speeds and effortlessly unblocks the likes of Netflix, BBC iPlayer and many other popular streaming sites with ease. Talking of streaming, they offer dozens of dedicated servers for doing just that as well as the usual country specific choices found elsewhere, and it’s the same for those looking at P2P file sharing with CyberGhost providing a whole host of torrenting friendly servers you can connect to should you wish.
Their user-friendly applications are super simple to use and are available to install on pretty much every device you can think of. With the one subscription, CyberGhost allows you to protect up to 7 different devices of your choice ensuring that all of your internet devices are protected; whether you’re at home, out and about, or heading overseas.
As you can tell, we are hugely impressed by CyberGhost’s technology, features and user-friendly applications. They offer a 45-day money back guarantee and top notch friendly 24/7 customer support making it an ideal choice for any VPN user. They are also one of the cheapest VPN providers out there so you really can’t go wrong with CyberGhost!
Pricing
CyberGhost offers exceptional value for money when compared with many of its competitors given it has so many premium features included in its service. Plans are available on monthly or yearly deals. Their 12 month plan represents the best value for money and is currently on special offer with 85% off when purchased through our website. Should you purchase today, you will also receive an additional 3 months protection absolutely free on their 12 month plan! Longer term plans come with a 45-day money back guarantee so if for any reason you’re not satisfied with CyberGhost’s service, you can cancel and receive a full refund, pretty much allowing you to try before you buy (1 month plans also comes with a 14-day money back guarantee)!. You can also choose to take up their 24 hour free trial option (no credit card required) should you be extra cautious!
For payment, CyberGhost accepts a wide range of options including most major debit and credit cards (including American Express), PayPal and Bitcoin.
When checking out, they have recently added the option to purchase a dedicated IP add-on with your plan for an extra $5 per month (located in either the USA, Canada, UK, France or Germany), enabling you to secure your remote connections with a fixed IP, 100% yours during your subscription, protecting all data transfers with the best VPN encryption.
6 month plan
$
4
80
per month -
Billed $28.80 every 6 months
Visit website
45-day money back guarantee
SAVE 85%
Features
CyberGhost is jam-packed with a whole host of awesome features to suit most VPN user’s requirements whilst user privacy sits at the forefront of its services.
A VPN needs to be ultra-secure and CyberGhost ticks all the boxes here by providing the highest available VPN encryptions, a wide selection of our favoured VPN protocols, and seriously advanced security features including the highly important VPN kill switch. Their 100% no logs promise assures us that they will never log any of your internet activity, and aside from their flawless reputation and unmarked history, they also publish a transparency report every 3 months which is outstanding.
We appreciate that each and every one of our readers have different VPN requirements, but it’s fair to say most of us use them to unblock and stream entertainment safely. With CyberGhost VPN, you can access all the content you wish without any limitations, easily overcoming the great Netflix VPN blocks or geo-restricted content such as BBC iPlayer from abroad.
Their 7,200+ servers are particularly suited to North America and European users given their location, but having said that, they span more than 91 countries worldwide; great for avoiding server congestion, achieving outstanding VPN speeds, or accessing geo-restricted content.
If you are out and about with your phone or laptop, using public Wi-Fi can be riskier than the average person may think. CyberGhost smartly alerts your device before joining an unsecure public Wi-Fi hotspot, reminding you to switch on your VPN before connecting.
The brilliant quick connect button which is visible on opening their app allows you to connect to the fastest available server with the click of a button, providing you with high quality VPN protection in a matter of seconds.
Finally, another couple of cool features we love is the ability to save your ‘favourite’ servers for streaming or torrenting, as well as the option to turn on ‘ad blocking’ to stop annoying 3rd party banner adverts and other forms of tracking whilst using the internet.
Platforms and devices
CyberGhost has been designed as a one stop solution, working exceptionally well on a huge range of devices and operating systems. A great benefit of theirs is you can protect up to 7 different devices with just the one VPN subscription, simultaneously ensuring every element of your online profile is private and protected.
Their user-friendly apps can be installed on macOS, Windows and Linux operating systems as well as iOS and Android mobile devices. If using a SmartTV, Fire TV (Amazon Firestick) or Kodi… they’ve got you covered too, as well as browser extensions for both Chrome and Firefox.
Users can also protect their gaming experience with a CyberGhost VPN, with apps optimised for all of the popular games consoles such as Playstation and Xbox. It’s also easy to secure your entire Wi-Fi network by pairing your router with a CyberGhost VPN, turbo charging your privacy across all of your mobile devices.
Streaming
CyberGhost is an ideal choice if you want to use a VPN for streaming as it’s super-fast, secure and has a large choice of dedicated servers specifically for doing so (something we really love!). All you need to do is simply select the server optimised for Netflix for example, and you’re good to go!
It consistently overcomes pretty much every VPN block imposed on it allowing users to unblock Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, HBO, Hulu, ESPN and all other popular streaming services with ease.
A great deal of Netflix content is geo-restricted to the US and of course BBC iPlayer can only be viewed from inside the UK, but CyberGhost can successfully lift any of these blocks with ease so you should have no concerns choosing this VPN if your main purpose is for streaming.
Torrenting
CyberGhost is an ideal choice for users who want the protection of a VPN when torrenting as it offers fantastic speeds whilst concealing all online activity from ISPs, making P2P activity slick and simple. Their service comes equipped with the essential VPN kill switch which will prevent any online activity being leaked should the VPN unexpectedly lose connection, and their VPN apps have built-in malicious URL filters ensuring users are 100% safe during P2P seeding.
There is one minor issue worth highlighting and that’s torrenting isn’t permitted on any of the Australian servers (at the time of writing). However, you can still torrent successfully on any of the other worldwide servers CyberGhost has to offer. Stay safe online and remember, you should always use a secure VPN when torrenting!
Speed
We’ve tested an extraordinary amount of VPN services over our time and let’s start by stating that CyberGhost is certainly no slouch! We performed numerous tests from our London HQ to ensure both local and international connections were up to scratch and everywhere we turned, it delivered outstanding results.
Starting with testing on local servers, they are a match for any of its competition out there, achieving speeds of up to 256Mbps. Perfect for watching 4k content on Netflix, downloading new games on your PlayStation and especially for P2P torrenting with your friends.
Using a VPN will always incur some kind of drop in your normal connection speed but CyberGhost performed exceptionally well here for us, keeping a robust and speedy connection at all times.Their user-friendly apps can also automatically suggest the quickest and least congested server based on your location, taking care of the hard part for you!
For more distant connections, performance did drop off slightly for us, but nothing to write home about. When connecting from the UK to a server in the US for instance, expect speeds around CyberGhost’s global average of 64Mbps which is more than sufficient to stream HD/4K content without any buffering.
Security
CyberGhost is a global leader for VPN security and highlight their ‘NoSpy’ servers as a key benefit to their exceptional service. Your IP address is robustly guarded by military grade AES-256 encryption at all times and they use our preferred Open VPN protocol alongside IKEv2/IPsec which is a great blend of both speed and privacy.
During testing we didn’t come across any IP, DNS or WebRTC leaks and the presence of a VPN kill switch offers a safety net in the unlikely event your VPN connection drops thanks to its inbuilt DNS leak protection, first-party DNS and IPV6 leak blocking features.
Additionally, users benefit from a malware blocker, HTTPS automated redirection and preventive online tracking. You can also use split-tunneling to route or exclude certain services and websites through your VPN tunnel should you wish. A nice little extra.
Applications
The CyberGhost apps are up there with the best we have tested and can be used on all of the popular devices. Despite having some of the most advanced security features on the market, they are extremely user-friendly and really well designed from a user experience point of view.
Inside the app, not only can you select the best servers for streaming and torrenting, it also lets you connect to the the fastest available server automatically with a click of the quick connect button, presented to you on opening the app.
The apps also smartly alert you when you are connecting to public or unsecured Wi-Fi, reminding you to turn on your CyberGhost VPN before any of your personal data is potentially compromised.
Customer service
CyberGhost’s website is packed with useful tips, information and guides to get the most out of your VPN. There is also plenty of troubleshooting guides should you encounter any problems (however its very unlikely you will!). One of their main customer service benefits we love is they offer 24/7 support via online chat and e-mail. We have tested both with some unusual and difficult queries. All were answered very quickly and the agents were extremely friendly and efficient.
Log policy
“The only way to secure your data is not to store it” said Robert Knapp, Chairman of CyberGhost. CyberGhost have a strict no logs policy and this is a huge plus to anybody interested in using their service.
The only information they collect ensures they can improve the product itself and certainly doesn’t compromise an individual user’s data whatsoever. This includes the time and date of connections to the VPN as well as the user’s country of origin (but not IP address).
We are happy to agree with CyberGhost that they are a no log VPN and if any authority requested a user’s online activity history, we’re 100% confident that CyberGhost have no data to hand over. They also publish a transparency report, which despite relying on the integrity of their own data, is an extra reassurance for CyberGhost users.
Jurisdiction
CyberGhost operates from Romania whilst most of its technical work is conducted in Germany. They also have an office in Israel. Despite being in the EU, Romania is a privacy friendly location underpinning CyberGhost’s no logging policy as it is outside of the Five, Nine and 14 Eyes alliances.
CyberGhost is owned by Kape Technologies PLC who also aquired popular VPN service ZenMate VPN in October 2018 and Private Internet Access in November 2019.
The verdict
CyberGhost ranks extremely highly against all of the other VPN providers we’ve reviewed and it’s clear to see why it’s one of the most popular VPN services out there. It’s a superb all-round product and CyberGhost ensures that all of its users are guarded with the very best VPN protection and online freedom at an extremely affordable price.
Its ability to unblock Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and other streaming services combined with its terrific user-friendly apps and consistent top speeds make it stand out amongst the competition, and it’s huge networks of servers with a clear focus on serving the security and entertainment needs of all VPN users worldwide make it very difficult for any user to look elsewhere.
CyberGhost is one of the most secure and privacy friendly VPNs on the market and generously offers a free trial period and money back guarantees. For this alone, we think CyberGhost is certainly worth giving a try!
Melvyn and the team at comparemyvpn.com rate CyberGhost as one of the best on the market and we are all fully converted ‘ghosties’!